An ode to the frenetic and the fantastic! Welcome to a place for the musings of a writer, traveler, foodie, crafter, party planner, and film fanatic. I always seem to have a million projects going on, but most recently I've been focused on a biggie: learning to be a mom.
I don't promise wisdom or wit, but enjoy sharing the things that I am passionate about with the world.

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Summer movies! Cowboys and Aliens review

I had the unexpected opportunity to do a lot of one of my very favorite things this summer-- I saw a ton of new movies. I LOVE the summer blockbuster season, and though I didn't see everything I wanted to this summer, I did get an opportunity to see a lot. So, for those of you who missed it and want my humble take on what to add to your Netflix queue, for the next couple of days, I will share my opinion on the summer's best.

Cowboys and Aliens
SKIP IT! I was so looking forward to this movie. I love Harrison Ford, and all things sci-fi. Jon Favreau is an established director, and, quite frankly, I was just sure that if you threw down the gauntlet and were cocky enough to call a movie something as corny as Cowboys and Aliens that you did it because you knew the film was damn good.

Not so. This one rivals Bablyon AD in terms of the number of times I thought "but why..." and for those of you who have seen Bably AD, you know how bad that is.

There is absolutely no characterization at all, which is particularly noticeable and lamentable in Harrison Ford's character. He is not an Oscar winner, but come on, he does have more ability than uttering every cowboy cliche known to man while wearing a permanent scowl.

And if cliched dialogue isn't enough for you, try this out-- Harrison Ford plays a rich cattle rancher. His spoiled son shoots up this dusty frontier town and no one stops him because they fear Daddy's wrath. There is nothing original about the dynamic between the two characters. Add Daniel Craig as Jake Longerman, a bad boy with a mysertious past that he just can't remember. But oh, of course, he secretly harbors a soft spot for beautitful women, animals, and small children. The mysterious bad boy with a heart of gold-- where have I seen that before? Oh... too many places to name. Ten Things I Hate About You approached this more originally, for sure.

And *spoiler alert* in case the dialogue, interactions, and plot devices aren't cliche enough, want to know what the aliens are after? Gold. Why? We don't know... I mean, doesn't everyone want gold?

This film is an egregious case of a studio assembling a top director, a cast of well knowns, a decent special effects budget, and then saying "aww... good enough... the script doesn't really matter THAT much."

I like Cowboys & Aliens. The reason I like it because this movie is exactly what I am expecting it to be. This movie has action, drama and thrill. Whatever you expect from a movie it has everything. I just love the performance of Daniel Craig. I really like the climax scene.

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About Me

Shauna Kelley is a maven of moonlighting, spending her time part-timing as a writer, teacher, baker, crocheter, gardener, and reader. Her favorite full-time gig is being mom to one amazing little boy.
She lives near Baltimore with her husband, kiddo, and extremely hyper dog.

Awards

ForeWord Reviews is pleased to announce the 2010 Book of the Year Awards list of finalists. Representing more than 350 publishers, the finalists were selected from 1400 entries in 56 categories. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest. Lucky Press, LLC is an independent book publisher based in Athens, Ohio, and has three titles announced as finalists.

Max and Menna by Shauna Kelley (of Baltimore, Maryland) is a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category. It is the story of three teenagers who survive poverty and prejudice in the South in the 1980s.